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A Beginner’s Guide to FPV Drones

Introduction: What are FPV Drones?

FPV stands for first-person view. So, when it comes to flying an FPV drone, essentially this means that pilots of FPV drones see what the drone sees. Traditional drones differ from this as they are piloted through the pilot’s perspective on the ground. With FPV, it is instead piloted through the perspective of the drone, not the pilot, via an onboard camera. A drone’s eye view, if you will.

The pilot wears goggles that show the drone’s point of view, and the drone has an onboard camera that transmits video to the goggles.

FPV stands for “first person view” and it’s a way of flying drones where the pilot wears goggles that show a live video feed from the drone’s camera. FPV racing is basically an extreme version of this – pilots wear goggles, they race their drones through courses and obstacles, and they try to finish as quickly as possible while avoiding crashing.

It’s honestly one of the most engaging and adrenaline filled things you can do, I was shocked when I first did it. Literally was shaking and had to take nausea medication because I was sick immediately.

What is an FPV drone?

FPV drones are “first-person-view” meaning that the pilot gets direct video playback into virtual reality goggles from the drone’s onboard video camera located towards the front of the drone.

Are FPV drones legal?

Yes, FPV drones are legal in the United States, UK, and most other countries. Always check local laws and regulations before flying. Especially when travelling definitely have ran into that myself in the past and had to double check what the local laws are when putting the drone up to ensure I am not doing anything illegal.

What are FPV drones used for?

Few devices can match with an FPV drone for tricks like flying in confined places, performing barrel rolls, and performing high-speed maneuvers, thereby extending the capabilities of a video camera.

But executing these acrobatic feats isn’t exactly simple. Any camera drone enables you to alter your viewpoint and capture images that would be challenging or impossible to do otherwise. Accordingly, depending on the type of video you want to create, an FPV drone might not be the best option for you.

How do you learn how to fly FPV drones?

If you’re interested in becoming a professional drone racing pilot, you need to practice, practice, practice! An excellent way to develop your flight skills is to practice on a simulator, like Velocidrone or the DJI Flight Simulator.

I personally used Velocidrone and hooked it up to my laptop with a Playstation controller and it worked perfectly. Would suggest using it and getting several hours in with it.

Before you fly for real we suggest using Velocidrone until you can fly without crashing for at least 5-6 minutes.

Also read our guide on how to get started becoming a drone pilot here so you can get informed on our how to’s with becoming a drone pilot.

What are the Best Brands of FPV Drones in the Market?

FPV drones are becoming more and more popular in the market. They are used for a variety of purposes, such as aerial photography, racing, and even just for fun.

The best brands of FPV drones in the market are DJI, XHover, and building your own custom drone.

I went with Xhover Blastr V2 RTF. It was the best drone I could have gotten in my opinion. Not only are the people at Xhover super impactful in the industry for content creators but they also provide the best RTF kits for serious users and content creators of any size.

How to Choose the Best FPV Drone for You?

The most important part of picking your first drone is to figure out what you want to achieve with it. Are you a creative or filmmaker looking to take your productions to the next level? You may already have flown camera drones, but got intrigued by the breathtaking footage that FPV drones can produce. Maybe you’re just looking to relax and experience the freedom of flight! Having a clear purpose in mind will help you decide which drone is best for you.

When camera drones were released, they revolutionized the aerial filming industry. Breathtaking aerial footage was no longer limited to high-budget movies or private pilots. Nowadays, pretty much anyone can get a camera drone and immediately start capturing footage with incredible quality. And while this is great on it’s own, the mass adoption and automatization of the process has also made it harder to stand out.

But then you were browsing the web and came across some footage that you couldn’t figure out how in the world they had captured. And after some research, you realized that those magical shots were made possible with an “FPV drone”, and now you’re going down the rabbit hole of trying to figure out how you can start getting that amazing footage! And thus, you ended up here, learning how to pick the drone that suits your needs.

Choose it for the right purpose…

We’ve grouped the individual needs of different pilots into two categories, based on what we see most often from people who reach out to us for guidance:

“You want to get amazing cinematic footage, to take your video productions to the next level” 

This is a common goal of many people who want to become FPV drone pilots. And now it’s more achievable than ever! FPV drones used to be limited to people with electronics knowledge, soldering skills and a lot of patience. But now, anyone can get their own FPV drone and start making amazing footage!

The best setup we can recommend for you is the Cinewhoop Drone Starter Kit, which includes all the things you need to start flying in a single package. It has been designed to get smooth and swoopy footage with a compact HD camera such as a GoPro or Insta360, but it also makes safety a priority – hence the shields around the fast-spinning propellers. This makes them especially suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, and can even be used in proximity to people. The Cinewhoop can pick up speed quickly to record chase-style footage of moving subjects such as cyclists, skaters, and more! 

While there is a large variety of cinematic drones on the market, our drones in particular are built by experts, right here in the USA, to make sure that the quality is top notch. Our drones are also individually tested by professional FPV drone pilots before they are shipped out, to ensure that they fly perfectly out of the box. We only use components that have been well tested and put through their paces, to ensure that our drones can take a beating and still perform well. And of course, we carry a complete set of replacement parts!

“You want to experience the immersive freedom of flight, and achieve the zen-like, out-of-body state of mind that FPV drones can give you”

Some FPV pilots are just in it for the thrill of flight. Many even have a background in extreme sports, but for one or another reason are no longer able to expose themselves to physical stress like they used to. 

For them, FPV Freestyle Drones are a match made in heaven. The ability to take a drone, put on FPV goggles, and experience that adrenaline rush again without risking life and limb, which allows them to decompress from the stress of daily life, losing themselves in the immersive out-of-body experience that can only be had with FPV flight. 

If this sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place! Rotor Riot’s HD1 Drone Starter Kit is the perfect drone for you. It is able to perform highly dynamic flips and tricks, and it can fly really fast, really close to the terrain. As with their other drones, their HD1 Drones are built in-house in the USA by Rotor Riot’s expert drone builders, and each drone is tested and tuned to make sure they have that “locked-in” feeling that makes flying enjoyable. The components we use on Rotor Riot’s drones are also selected by their professional FPV pilots, after putting them through their paces in order to make sure they are both durable and perform well. And a full range of replacement parts and upgrades are available on their store!

Where Can I Buy My First FPV Drone?

Here is where I recommend to shop for drones:

https://xhover.com/

https://rotorriot.com/

https://www.getfpv.com/

https://www.racedayquads.com/

Originally posted 2022-11-15 18:03:04.

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